Admiral's Ship--an Nba Title--is About To Come In

NEW YORK — They became unlikely friends, the Admiral and the seaman, David Robinson and Will Perdue.

One was a star, talented and gifted, the other a role player, willing, if not always able.

But they could share more than basketball. So they would leave the oppressive heat of San Antonio in the summers and head for Aspen, Colo., with their families. And, after some of their one-on-one games, they would walk and talk.

David Robinson--MVP, top 50 player of all time, Olympic gold medal winner, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, winner of virtually every honor his sport could bestow--also would wonder sometimes about the scrutiny and criticism he received.

"He didn't quite understand," Perdue said. "He wouldn't understand the necessity for criticism, why did (his critics) find it important to blame him. He had the skill level, but they would question his heart and desire.

"He's not an emotional guy. He labels himself a Christian. He's never someone who second-guesses someone's effort or decisions. He doesn't judge, so why is he being judged by people who never played? You could tell occasionally it would chip away at him, that he never would be this guy to lead his team to a championship."

They may not be able to say that anymore about David Robinson after Friday.

"I try not to think about it," Robinson said Thursday as the Spurs prepared for Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks here. "But each game I was thinking, `We're four games away, we're three games away, we're two games away. . . .' "

The San Antonio Spurs, leading three games to one, are one victory from the first NBA title in franchise history and first NBA title for a former American Basketball Association team. No team in Finals history has ever recovered from such a deficit to win.

Thursday, there was the normal, off-day talk of "adjustments." The Knicks were saying they needed to defend better against Avery Johnson and the screen-roll. It was the usual backs-against-the-wall talk, the belief stuff, the motto of the Knicks throughout the playoffs.

That also has been David Robinson's motto throughout his career.

He believed he was a champion, a winner. He was a good family man, an accomplished musician and community leader who donated millions to charity projects in San Antonio.

But many used that to suggest he had too many outside interests. He wouldn't demean teammates, as other stars did, so he was viewed as weak and indifferent while they were viewed as leaders.

Players such as Michael Jordan, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson didn't win early in their careers because they didn't have enough talent around them. In Robinson's case, he was blamed.

They pointed to the third-place finish in the 1988 Olympics, the 1995 conference finals loss to the Houston Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon, the early playoff exits.

"It hurt, no question," Robinson said. "People would say something about me I know is not true. I'm about one of the most competitive people I know. When people question your desire, that bothers you. It bothered me."

Now, some will say Robinson is on the verge of being an NBA champion for the first time because of high-scoring teammate Tim Duncan.

Robinson is averaging 17 points, a career playoff low, 11.8 rebounds and a series-best 3.5 blocks. In Game 4, Robinson defended, rebounded, blocked shots, filled in the gaps, as Jordan used to say. But he didn't score much.

Robinson was the star. He didn't have to be the one to defer to Duncan offensively, but he is the one who wanted to win. Perdue says when Duncan was drafted and the three were in Aspen that first summer, Robinson felt the challenge of Duncan and it was the most emotional he had seen him.

"He took the challenge personally," Robinson said.

But Robinson also did what the greatest players do: Figure out a way to win.

"Their twin towers works because you had a guy who is able to sublimate his ego," said Knicks assistant Brendan Malone.

"He's not Michael Jordan," teammate Steve Kerr said. "Nobody is. But David is a guy who can dominate a game with his defense. He can step back and put his ego aside. He's very unselfish and he wants to win."